A woman has been charged with manslaughter following the death of a man during a baptism ceremony in Birmingham. Robert Smith, 61, from Brixton, south London, drowned during the ceremony at a home in Slade Road, Erdington, in October 2023.
The ceremony involved a paddling pool in a back garden and was filmed and livestreamed, with about a dozen congregants watching. Smith, originally from Jamaica, had lived in the UK for at least 25 years and worked as a barber. He was a grandfather to seven grandchildren.
Cheryl Bartley, 48, was charged with one count of gross negligence manslaughter in relation to her role as a pastor during the baptism, the Crown Prosecution Service said. Emergency services were called on 8 October, but Smith was pronounced dead at the scene.
Malcolm McHaffie, head of the special crime division at the CPS, said: “Our prosecutors have worked to establish that there is sufficient evidence to bring this case to court and that it is in the public interest to pursue criminal proceedings. We remind all concerned that criminal proceedings against this defendant are active and that she has the right to a fair trial.”
Bartley is due to appear at Birmingham Magistrates’ Court on Thursday 14 May.
